The Oncology department at Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center is amazing, with so many wonderful nurses! But the one nurse I would like to recognize is Melissa Gunlund. When my wife was a patient in Oncology, one of the only foods she could tolerate was Jell-O. But the only flavor of Jell-O that my wife cared for is Peach - which the hospital did not serve. So Melissa took it upon herself to make Peach Jell-O herself and bring it in. She put the peach Jell-O in a couple dozen individual cups (complete with lids) and kept them in the hospital refrigerator so my wife could have them whenever she needed. My wife has since passed, but I will never forget the kindness and thoughtfulness displayed by Melissa Gunlund. It made my wife feel like a special patient, and that someone really cared for her to go the extra mile.

...

I had such a wonderful experience while staying at Orange Coast Memorial and a very large part of that pleasant stay was under Melissa's care. I came to this hospital in need of an operation to remove a foreign object that had grown over time inside my stomach. The reason the abnormal mass was there in the first place was by my own fault and actions. I was very uncomfortable and embarrassed about my situation. I had a lot of fear about telling my family about the cause of my illness as well as the fear of the doctors and nurses knowing about it as well. After learning of my condition Melissa came to speak to me. She expressed concern for me without making me feel ashamed of or embarrassed. I felt so comfortable speaking to her and she made me feel at ease. My stay was so much more pleasant because of Melissa.